The Technical Centre

The Technical Centre groups together all centralized departments at the Space Centre, which are divided into four zones :

The administrative zone

which groups together in more than 10 buildings the management of CNES-CSG and the two sub-directorates which report to it :

• the operations sub-directorate (SDO)
• the range safety and protection and environment sub-directorate (SDP).

The logistics zone

which groups together departments which provide assistance to other departments and enable them to operate satisfactorily: the electromechanical workshop, the garage, the firemen, the helicopter shelter, the petrol station, the general store, the electrical emergency supply building.

The operational zone

which houses technical equipment used directly for launch activities, namely for :

• range safety coordination (BCS), flight safety (Jupiter 1),
• the safety and crisis control centre,
• telecommunications,
• the Jupiter control centre.

The satellite preparation zone (S1)

which was operational until the building of the new satellite preparation facility (ECPU), the S5, located on the ELA 3 complex and reserved for Ariane 5.

The Technical Centre also houses the command centre for the Paris firemen : this world famous military organisation, renowned for its work in the field of safety, was chosen for its experience in the prevention and control of industrial risks and in particular accidents due to propellants. The specialised Kourou unit, which was set up in 1969, now consists of 80 men. They provide expertise for the design of new facilities, training in fire prevention and fighting and in providing assistance for propellant handling operations and first aid; finally, they participate in regular accident simulation exercises. In order to guarantee safety outside of the Guiana Space Centre, the French government also calls on armed forces: the Army (3e REI), the Air Force, the Navy and the Gendarmerie.

The Operations managers and the Operations coordination office (BCO) are responsible for coordinating and preparing base and satellite campaigns, as well as for coordinating CSG activities (maintenance, new projects, etc...).

Since it is necessary to keep the priority for current campaigns and to coordinate other operational priorities, the CSG Director delegates authority to an Operations Manager. A planning and coordination department is then made available to the Operations Manager to enable him to :

• collect and enter information on operations and activities planned for the base, or to act as an interface
• plan operations
• to directly coordinate current operations in real time.

The Guiana Space Centre has modern internal and external telecommunication systems for voice communication services (telephones, radiotelephones, beeping services, radio for convoys), remote communications between groups (group telephone meetings, videoconferences, multiplexing, etc...), data transmission and the sending of written documents.

In addition to conventional voice communications networks and group communication systems, the needs for internal communication at CSG, in relation to Ariane launches, the needs for satellite customers and CSG operation, require the setting-up of various dedicated transmission media organised into independent networks, which are complementary and which can be interconnected.

For external communication needs, all CSG communications are sent to Guiana and out of the department by France Télécom. Secured lines used the Télécom 2 (A and B) or Intelsat satellites relayed through ground stations in Kourou and Cayenne. The TETA network is for communicating with the Ariane stations of Galliot, Natal, Ascension and Libreville, and enables real time and off-line transmission of all telemetry data received from the Ariane launcher and then sent to the telemetry processing centres in Kourou and Toulouse. The inter-centre digital network (RNIC) connects the CSG permanently with the Technical Centre at CNES Toulouse.

During the flight

The point of light displayed on screens during evening launches is transmitted by a highly efficient system: the tracking, location and trajectography system (SLT).
The information is acquired from radar and telemetry sites. The radar data is transmitted to the centre for coordination and exploitation of the tracking data (CCEL), which is the most strategic point of the location and trajectography system.

The radar complex has a location accuracy of 2 metres at a range of 400 km, with a data time error of 50 milliseconds. The telemetry stations supply the CCEL with information transmitted by the inertial measurement units on the launcher which are processed by a telemetry interface system. They are then transmitted to the Jupiter Control Centre in the form of a graph to be displayed and then saved for processing.

After the flight

Once the launch has been completed, a satellite positioning diagnosis is made at CCEL and the trajectories are plotted for the launch operator and the supervising prime contractor. The behaviour of the system is then checked, thus enabling a very reliable evaluation of the performance of the tracking, location and trajectography system.

The Guiana Space Centre has to protect life, property and the environment against damage and disturbances which might be caused by the launching of spacecraft.
This responsibility concerns events likely to disturb land, sea and air Space for that part of the mission between the lift-off and the injection of the satellite onto its orbit, including stage fallback phases or falling back of boosters. On day D, the technicians have to determine the launcher’s trajectory in order to minimise risks. Trajectory calculations are also made for each second of flight and the Range Safety Division has to intervene whenever the launcher deviates dangerously from its flight corridor.

The Sub-Directorate in charge of range safety and protection of the environment has three main assignments :

• to ensure, in compliance with laws and regulations in force, the safety and protection of life and property for the whole of the Guiana Space Centre,
• to ensure within the Guiana Space Centre the protection of life, property and the environment,
• to ensure for the whole of the Guiana Space Centre, with assistance from the brigade of Paris firemen, fire prevention and fire fighting for facilities as well as first aid and assistance to individuals.

For this purpose, the Sub-Directorate can call upon three departments :

• the Security and Safety department, responsible for defining and implementing safety and protective measures for people and facilities within the Guiana Space Centre.
• the Range safety, protection and environment division, responsible for defining and implementing measures for protecting life, property and the environment during spacecraft preparation, launching and flight. It is also responsible for doing the compulsory studies required by law for classified facilities.
• the third division is the Fire prevention and fighting and first aid division which fights fires and provides assistance to people for the whole of the Space Base. It consists of an autonomous Brigade of Paris Firemen and is run by the Range Safety Sub-Directorate.

The Ground safety coordination department (BCS) coordinates dangerous activities in order to reduce the risks of accidents occurring. In case of any problem arising, the BCS can trigger an alarm or set up a crisis team.

The Optics-Video department is responsible for technical management, maintenance and implementation of two essential assignments :

• The Optics mission for operations, public relations or for meeting different technical requirements (imaging, video filming and photography, video processing)
• The Video mission for operations and Range safety as well as public relations for producing and distributing images.

Various services are systematically provided during a campaign :

• technical images of satellites and video monitoring of operations in the EPCU for ARIANESPACE and ground safety coordination
• technical photographs of the launcher before launch
• technical images of launcher lift-off for ARIANESPACE
• visualisation of the launcher from 0 to 250 m for flight safety
• tracking of launcher until it can no longer be seen (multi-sensor turrets, cinetelescope, etc …)
• generating of synthesised images and distribution to the control centre during count-downs
• implementation of audio/video equipment for operational sites and public relations during countdowns
• technical analysis, after launch (evaluation of launcher attitude from 0 to 100 metres …)
• making of films, for technical purposes, for the campaign itself and for media purposes.

All negatives and films for all campaigns are archived.
Since 2001, the silver film equipment has gradually been replaced with digital equipment (for both photo and video).

Means :

1. Optical equipment :

• 35 mm format (quick shooting): 23 cameras, from 25 to 1200 images/sec
• 16 mm format (quick shooting): 12 cameras, from 10 to 500 images/sec
• 2 cameras from 300 to 3,000 images/sec
• quick digital cameras: 6 cameras, 512x512 pixels, 10 to 1000 images/sec
• a cinetelescope on Île Royale, equipped with 2 silver film cameras and 2 IR cameras.
  Object recognition tracking mode or IR deviation sensing
• two multi-sensor turrets of which one is equipped with an IR thermal camera
• IR thermal camera (IR range 8/12 microns)
• digital cameras (for technical reports and media releases) and silver film cameras
• video facilities for making technical and campaign films
• ROMULUS video network for range safety, the satellite customers and communication purposes.
• post-production tools: both analogue and virtual.

2. Laboratories :

Processing of 16mm and 35 mm films (colour and B&W), processing of films, automatic printing, large format printing, post-production video control centre (editing, digital effects, copying bench for different standards, digital image processing bench), work station for generating computer images, computer processing for analysing images of technical films, etc.

Security at the Space Base begins at the reception building which is responsible for issuing badges to enable access to different parts of the site. The base facilities are installed in areas protected by a complex surveillance system and by security agents. Badges are customised for individuals and allow access to specific zones and categories of personnel. They are issued following approval by the industrial organisation responsible for the zone. Within these zones, some buildings and rooms are protected by electronic access and intrusion control systems.

See the file on « The Space Centre under surveillance ».